Railfan and Railroad Magazine

3 days ago | railfan.com | Justin Franz

Amtrak has released two ACS-64 locomotives in a special Crayola crayon wrap, which will operate in the Northeast. The locomotives were unveiled on May 8 as part of a new promotion with the crayon company. One locomotive is draped in Violet Blue and showcases a collection of eight retired crayon colors that Crayola recently reintroduced for a limited time. The second locomotive is wrapped in Dandelion – a golden yellow and one of the fan-favorite, “unretired” crayon colors.

3 days ago | railfan.com | Justin Franz

New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Cog Railway announced this week that it will delay steam operations on the Northeast’s tallest peak until repairs can be made to its two 0-2-2-0 locomotives. However, General Manager Ryan Presby said the historic cog railway remains dedicated to steam power. From 1869 until 2008, steam ruled the west slope of Mount Washington. Constructed in the 1860s, the Mount Washington Cog Railway was the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railroad.

4 days ago | railfan.com | Justin Franz

Trinity Railway Express and Amtrak are looking to lease locomotives and cars from Minnesota’s Northstar commuter rail operation. Trinity Railway Express, which operates between Dallas and Fort Worth, Tex., has requested at least one locomotive, two cab cars, and three coaches from June 2025 until August 2026. The agency is preparing for an influx of riders ahead of the FIFA World Cup next year.

6 days ago | railfan.com | Justin Franz

J. Parker Lamb, a masterful black & white image maker long considered “one of the deans of post-World War II railroad photography,” died at his home in Austin, Texas, on Friday. He was 91 years old. Lamb was a son of the South, and he captured its railroads like few others before or after. Born in Boligee, Alabama, in 1933, Lamb moved with his family to Meridian, Mississippi, in 1938 when he was four years old.

1 week ago | railfan.com | Justin Franz

A former Reading FP7 will make its debut at the Woodstown Central in New Jersey this weekend. SMS Rail Service, which operates the Woodstown Central, recently completed the restoration of Reading 902, one of two acquired from the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society and the Philadelphia Chapter of the NRHS in 2023. The two units were built in 1950 as part of a six-unit order. The locomotives later ended up on SEPTA.